Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-25
CANCER CAN BE CURED.
Operations Serve In Every Case to ProlOng
Life-Interesiing statistic.

Operations Serve In Every Case to ProIoni
Life-InterestiBg statistic.
The question whether or not cancer is
durable by operation is one of vital i'm
portauCe to those who may have the dis
ease. It is popularity supposed to be in
durable, but statistics prove that it is not
so. In estimating the value of operations
for cancer we must consider the duration
of the disease when lett TO itself Paget
in l39 cases, gives the duration of life ia
seventy-fye not operated upon as forty
eight months, while in the remaining
sixty-fOur, where one or more operations
had been perform5 d, the life average was
tifty-tWO months.
Stbley, in eighty -four cases, makes the
average thirty-tWo months ia cases not
operated upon, and fifty-tWo months where
excisIon was pracuced. The longest
duration of life in cases not operated upon
is twelve years; in those operated upon,
eighteen years. While these statistics go
to prove that OPP Grafton prolongs life, they
do not prove an ultimate cure. DR..
OldekOp shows in his report that out of
229 cases where operations had been per-
formed tWenty-three recovered. Dr. Will
lard Parker believed in operations for the
disease. In paper read before the Med
ical Journal Association IN September,
1873, he reports fourteen cases OF cure by
excisiOn, the patients being il good health
at the ends of periods varying from three
to tWenty-seyen years.
A mass of statistics might be brought
TO show that in many instances cancer
mas been radically cured, and in her
cases life Eas been Indefinitely prolonged
cy the use of The knife. few special
cases will serve to show this Dr. Weir
reports case in which the right breast
was amputated by DR.. James Il. Wood in
1856. In 1867 DR.. Post ampu ated the lett
breast. Iu 1873 DR.. Weir removed a re-
current growth fr, m the right side, and
again IN 1877 and $50, the patient finally
dying Of the disease twenty five years
after its Il st appearance. DR.. Frank II.
Hamilton operated upon q patient Who
survived the excsiOn twenty years, and
another patient of his, whose breast was
entirely removed, survived the operation
for ten years.
Cases Of this description might be null
tiplied. Dr.. ShTady, General Grants
physician, claims that the disease is or
ganic, ana in no way hereditary. He be
lleves that lis origin is local, and is there
fore removable, aud that tae constitution
becomes affected only seCOndarlly by
more or less widespread dissemination Of
original cancer germs. The failure of one
eXcision TO effect cure in no wise dis
concerts him. The disease is insidious,
and careful microscopic examination is
necessary to follow It's various ramifca-
tions.
Where the growth is not in proximity
TO the vital organs, operation after opera
ton may be tried VITA impunity. In the
case of General Grant the entire throat
was affected, and al operation meant Ger
tain Death, otherwise an operati n would
have been tried. II is an exception for
more than one member of family 10 be
come the victim of cancer. In fact, it may
be confidently said that NO human being
can be sure OF escaping the disease uuilI
he has passed the age Of its occurrence,
which is when his vital machinery is ell
tirely worn out. In other words, he can
never consider himself fortunate in re-
sDeCt to cancer until ne is dead.